


A Little Step Forward

by insanityaligned



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, can be romantic if you want but its not supposed to be, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-09
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-11 19:20:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1176905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/insanityaligned/pseuds/insanityaligned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He's an orphan. An orphan and a thief. She's the baker's daughter. It was coincidence they met. It was luck they became friends. And it's something else that has kept them together for so long.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Step Forward

**Author's Note:**

> Hello~ I wrote this little thing when I was bored. It's nothing special but I like it. So here you go. 
> 
> Tracking tumblr tag: insanityaligned (

No one really knew where he came from or who he was. He showed up in the news sometimes, usually in a report saying that there’s been bread stolen from the bakery windows or that vegetables were disappearing from their stands. He was nameless. He was an orphan– a nobody in the city he lived in, yet everyone knew about him. Nonetheless, the world kept spinning, acknowledging his presence if necessary but otherwise treating him like he was an insignificant part of society. 

Honestly, Levi didn’t care. They’d mind their own business and he’d mind his. It was just how the world worked. Life sucked, but hey, as long as he had food to eat and a place to shelter his head at night, he wasn’t complaining. 

Twelve years old and one of the city’s most well known thieves was a pretty impressive title. Levi had figured out a while ago that the people here had stopped caring long before. They knew who he was, by appearance and not name. They knew what he was capable of but they also knew he was young. It was by any means legal to detain a minor but no one had grown enough balls to do it yet. He could do whatever he wanted. And damn, he was okay with that. Alone, but okay. 

Not anymore.

He wasn’t sure when she first showed up; somewhere in the previous two weeks, he presumed. He wasn’t sure why she kept coming back. He wasn’t even sure what her sudden fascination with him was all about. All Levi knew was the bob of her ponytail when she walked and the glint of her glasses in the afternoon sun. The faint scent of freshly baked bread that clung to her clothes and the twinkle in her eyes when a smile tugged at her pink lips. 

Her name was Zoë. Zoë Hanji. She was the baker’s daughter, he’d found out. She’d told him off about stealing her dad’s pastries, and when he told her she was being ridiculous, that that was the only way he’d be able to live, she took pity on him, making herself go out of her way to make sure he ended every day with a full stomach. He had said before that she shouldn’t risk getting caught sneaking out for his sake, only to be waved off with a laugh. 

So it became routine. Every day after school she’d come with food and they’d talk for hours on end before she claimed it was almost her dinnertime. She’d pack up her stuff and leave, earning a prompt goodbye from Levi, before she stepped out of his little world for another day, leaving him with a strange hollow emptiness in his chest. It’d disappear for a while when she came, and then by nightfall, it’d be back. 

He hated it, but he already knew he’d made a deal with loneliness long ago.

“Hey, Levi?” 

“Hmm?”

“Why don’t you have a last name?”

He paused, setting his plate down on a towel, and wiping his hands on his trousers. He shot her a glance as she leaned forwards in anticipation, teeth gnawing at her bottom lip while she waited. 

“I’ve never had one. Never will.”

“Really? Why don’t you take the old woman’s one? Smith, right?”

“Levi Smith?” He scoffed, raising an eyebrow. 

She nodded. “Yeah! It’d be better to take it then not have one at all, no?”

He shook his head. “I don’t like the ring of it… She’s old– last one in her group, I think. No use in keeping her name alive.” That stung. For as long as he could remember, she was there. If she were gone, he’d lose everything. A frown pulled at the ends of his pale lips as he flipped a couple dark strands of hair out of his eyes. 

She pouted, pushing up her glasses. “That’s a little morbid…”

“Yeah, well…” He trailed off. 

“What?” She looked at him pensively. “Ah, whatever. It’s your choice.” She waved her hand¬, a dismissive gesture he’d learned to take note of. It was an unspoken treaty between the two of them that whatever they were talking about would be forgotten. 

The lulling ticks of the tiny clock on his bedside table covered the room for a moment, making up for the lack of noise, and letting them fall into a comfortable silence for a moment, not talking yet understanding everything. 

It was broken by the sharp smack of Zoë’s lips as she licked off excess crumbs that still remained on her fingers 

“Disgusting.” Levi said, nose wrinkling, and mouth curling up.

“Hey! My hands are clean, I’ll have you know!”

“I don’t care. It’s fucking gross.”

“I’ve learned to make sure to wash my hands thoroughly before coming here, excuse you.”

“Wow, you wash your hands once a day, congratulations.”

She smacked him on the arm. “Not true!”

“Sure.”

Zoë laughed. 

\---

One year later, the old woman passed away. Levi made off of her extra wealth and food before the services came and took it all away, leaving him with only some spare clothes, a bottle of clean water, a toothbrush, and enough food and money to last him a week. 

A month before, Zoë exclaimed she’d be going on a trip with her father the next day to Capital, claiming she’d be back in time Christmas. Levi had rolled his eyes at her. “The Capital’s just filled with rich brats, all dolled up in dresses and suits with their polished carriages and golden bathtubs,” he’d said when he heard the news. She left him with that and a small parting gift and for the first time in a long time, he felt completely and utterly alone. 

Nightfall, he decided, would be his designated time for breaking and entering into the shops. By midnight, the city was asleep, save for the occasional policeman wandering the empty streets with a dimly lit lantern. Levi had been around the city for long enough to know policemen really only guarded the richer side of town, which conveniently was the side he wasn’t on. It was impossibly easy to commit a crime if you were quiet enough to not wake up the shop owners who lived upstairs. 

He shouldn’t be stealing from the bakery. Not after all Zoë had done for him. As he neared, a feeling of guilt bubbled in the pit of his stomach. 

The light padding of footsteps was the only thing awake outside the back end of the store. He’d learned the front entrance, though more accessible, gave a higher risk of getting caught, and though the idea of having a place to stay was tempting, the idea of cold stone walls dripping with hushed murmurs wasn’t all too inviting. 

The lock snapped with a click as he allowed himself to slip inside. The room, used mostly for storage, had a cold draft to it and Levi found himself pulling his arms more tightly around his torso as he walked. 

He worked quickly, grabbing some leftovers from the pile they didn’t donate, knowing full well that this was intended for the family’s own mealtime the next day, but also knowing that he needed it. 

He hastily slung the sack over his shoulder and made way to the exit when–

“Levi?”

He froze, panic flooding into his veins. 

“Levi, what are you–“

He dropped the bag, gripping her by the collar of her nightshirt, and reveling in the fact he looked down at her by a couple centimeters. “You tell, you die.”

“I already told you not to steal!” She hissed.

His fingers loosened. “What are you doing up anyway? It’s late, dumbass.”

“I…I couldn’t sleep. I came down to fix up the shop a little.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be away?”

“I just got back,” she muttered.

He let go, wiping off his hands and picking up the bag again. “Sorry.”

“What’s wrong? Did you–“

“She died.”

“I-“

The look on her face almost made him pity himself. “It’s fine.”

“Levi, it’s Christmas Eve, you can’t–“

“Well, happy almost birthday to me. Now can I just–“ The grin spreading across her face told him that he’d regret saying that later. 

\---

She’d got him all dressed up, combed hair and everything. “You look great!” she said. “They’ll love you!” She sounded so sure, so confident in her words it almost made Levi believe it himself. 

 

Walking into the closed bakery, he felt fine. Walking up the stairs, his palms started to sweat. Standing in front of the door, he felt like he was going to throw up. Zoë held his hand encouragingly. 

And suddenly, it was gone. He was swept into a world of lights and buzzing laughter. A warm glow enveloped the tiny room and he felt unfamiliar hands shake his and others, more gentle ones, pinch his cheeks lovingly. A plate of food was shoved in front of him at the dinner table and warmth spread through his stomach. He couldn’t hold back the smile he’d been keeping inside any longer. 

Because for the first time, he felt accepted. For the first time, he felt loved. For the first time, he could feel that deal with loneliness splinter. 

And he loved every second of it.

**Author's Note:**

> If you want me to continue this in any way, just shoot me an ask on my tumblr or in the comments section. I can make this multi-chapter easily or if you want a one shot, go ahead and request one.


End file.
